Ho Yuxian, for instance, has been earmarked for promotion to head of a township and has an annual income of 62,123 yuan (US$9,860) from her job as secretary of the county's Communist Youth League Committee, according to the Web site. She also declared her ownership of two housing estates, one of which she inherited from her family.

The purpose of publicly declaring such information is "to ensure newly promoted officials do not have any problems regarding properties", an official identified only by his surname, Yang, who is discipline inspection director of the country's organization committee, told China Daily over the hotline. If any false information is discovered, the candidate will lose the chance of promotion and will be punished, Yang added.

This is the second time local officials declare their personal assets to the public. In August, 600 officials at section head and higher levels for a district in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province of China, released financial details on a government Web site, including their real estate, savings and investments, as well as those of their spouses and children.

Certain officials in China are required to report their incomes to the country's committee every year, as a precaution against corruption. The Communist Party of China Central Committee had been emphasizing the importance of the report system but had not made such declaration compulsory.

However, some officials still decline to disclose the information, claiming an invasion of their privacy, Yang noted.

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